8/14/2019 Republic Act 8759: AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING A NATIONAL FACILITATION SERVICE NETWORK THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PUBLIC EMP

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8/14/2019 Republic Act 8759: AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING A NATIONAL FACILITATION SERVICE NETWORK THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PUBLIC EMP

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(c) Provide persons with entrepreneurship qualities access to the various livelihood and self-employment programs offered by both government and nongovernmental organizations atthe provincial/city/municipal/barangay levels by undertaking referrals for such programs;

(d) Undertake employability enhancement trainings/seminars for job seekers, as well asthose who would like to change career or enhance their employability;

(e) Provide employment or occupational counselling, career guidance, mass motivation andvalues development activities;

(f) Conduct pre-employment counselling and orientation to prospective local and, mostespecially, overseas workers;

(g) Provide reintegration assistance services to returning Filipino migrant workers; and

(h) Perform such functions as willfully carry out the objectives of this Act.

Section 6.Other Services of the PESO. - In addition to the functions enumerated in the preceding

section, every PESO shall also undertake the following programs and activities:

(a) Jobs Fairs - These shall be conducted periodically all over the country to bring together inone venue job seekers and employers for immediate matching;

(b) Livelihood and Self-Employment Bazaars - These will give clients information on the widearray of livelihood programs they choose to avail of, particularly in the rural areas;

(c) Special Credit Assistance for Placed Overseas Workers - This type of assistance willenable poor but qualified applicants to avail of opportunities for overseas employment;

(d) Special Program for Employment of Students and Out-of-School Youth (SPESOS) - This

program shall endeavor to provide employment to deserving students and out-of-schoolyouth coming from poor families during summer and/or Christmas vacations as provided forunder Republic Act No. 7323 and its implementing rules, to enable them to pursue theireducation;

(e) Work Appreciation Program (WAP) - This program aims to develop the values of workappreciation and ethics by exposing the young to actual work situations;

(f) Workers Hiring for Infrastructure Projects (WHIP) - This program is in pursuance ofRepublic Act No. 6685 which requires construction companies, including the Department ofPublic Works and Highways and contractors for government-funded infrastructure projects,to hire thirty percent (30%) of skilled and fifty percent (50%) of unskilled labor requirements

from the areas where the project is constructed/located; and

(g) Other programs/activities developed by DOLE to enhance provision of employmentassistance to PESO clients, particularly for special groups of disadvantaged workers such aspersons with disabilities (PWDs) and displaced workers.

Section 7.Role of DOLE and LGUs, NGOs, CBOs and SUCs. - Upon the request of the LGUs,NGOs, CBOs, SUCs which do not have existing PESOs, the establishment, operation andmaintenance of PESOs shall be undertaken by the DOLE. The DOLE shall enter into memoranda of

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agreements with the concerned LGUs, NGOs, CBOs, SUCs for the establishment, operation andmaintenance of PESOs in their respective areas of jurisdiction, and the institutionalization of existingPESOs.

It shall be the responsibility of the DOLE to:

(a) Establish and maintain a computerized national manpower registry of skills andemployment and business opportunities to facilitate the provision and packaging ofemployment assistance to PESO clients and the setting-up of intra- and inter-regional jobclearance systems as part of the overall employment network;

(b) Provide office space, equipment and/or supplies, as well as the necessary personnelcomplement to manage, operate and maintain the PESO;

(c) Designate, in consultation with the LGU, NGO, CBO or SUC concerned, a qualifiedproject manager and/or key personnel who shall be responsible for the operation andmanagement of the PESO;

(d) Provide technical assistance and allied support services to the PESO;

(e) Train PESO personnel in the various aspects of employment facilitation functions;

(f) Extend/facilitate such other package of employment services to the provision ofemployment assistance to clients of the LGU, NGO, CBO or SUC concerned, including theconduct of jobs fairs and other activities; and

(g) Undertake, monitor, assess and evaluate the PESO program implementation.

For their part, the LGUs, NGOs, CBOs or SUCs shall extend such assistance and services as maybe necessary in the promotion of employment within their respective areas of jurisdiction.

Section 8.Administration of the PESO Program. - The DOLE shall be primarily responsible for theadministration of the PESO Program through its Bureau of Local Employment, as well as its regionaloffices throughout the country. The Secretary of Labor and Employment, in coordination with theDepartment of the Interior and Local Government and in consultation with the presidents of thevarious local government leagues, namely the League of Provinces, the League of Cities, theLeague of Municipalities and the League of Barangays, shall accordingly promulgate, within ninety(90) days from the effectivity of this Act, the necessary rules and regulations for the effectiveimplementation of the Program.

Section 9.Funding. - The amount necessary for the initial implementation of this Act shall becharged against the existing appropriation of the DOLE and its other operating agencies. Thereafter,

the amounts needed for the full implementation of this Act shall be included in the budget of theDOLE in the succeeding General Appropriations Act.

Section 10.Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations or anypart thereof which are inconsistent herewith are hereby deemed repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 11.Separability Clause. - If for any reason, any section or provision of this Act or any partthereof, or the application of such section, provision or portion is declared invalid or unconstitutional,the remainder thereof shall not be affected by such declaration.

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Section 12.Effectivity. -This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the OfficialGazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved: February 14, 2000

(SGD.)JOSEPH E. ESTRADA

President of the Philippines